LAKEVIEW & WILSTEAD LOWER SCHOOLS

Wilstead Lower School Owl Logo

Recently, as the local Councillor and school governor I attended the Lakeview Lower School turf cutting ceremony prior to the start of the building of the school which opens in September 2009 on the Wixams Development. The Head Teacher Sue Vint is wielding a spade in the photo and working hard on designing a new school uniform, logo and strapline - "Where the Learning Adventure Begins" - for the school.

In February an absentee Liberal Democrat Councillor stirred the national press into writing scare stories about our new school, which was then a hole in the ground, with no pupils. However, we now expect to have at least 100 houses built this year, providing enough children for the new school to open in two phases. All the neighbouring schools are popular and full, including the outstanding Elstow Lower School and Wilstead Lower School. Also the local authority is legally obliged to provide schooling for children who live on the Wixams Development.

Wilstead Lower School also enjoyed its moment of glory at St. Albans Abbey last Saturday, when it was one of only 3 Bedfordshire schools invited to join a children's choir in a special Diocesan international celebration which was part of the Year of the Child. Wilstead Lower School's logo is a wise owl, very appropriate for a place of learning. Last year I gave the school a grant from my Community Leader's Fund to purchase 11 pond dipping kits for their wild garden.

As a parent and grandparent of 4 small grandchildren, I am very pleased to be involved with these 3 lower schools and delighted with their successes to date.